Photograph
by RestoringBones
Summary: A smile never fades or a love never dies when captured in a photograph. Lucy's birthday is today as she waits for Natsu and Happy to return from their errand. However, this doesn't stop the guild from preparing a birthday she won't forget. One-Shot.


**Song: Photograph by Ed Sheeran**

 _Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes_  
 _But it's the only thing that I know_  
 _When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes_  
 _It is the only thing that makes us feel alive_

Lucy sits on the barstool while holding a cup of water in front of her as she looks next to her and expects to hear Natsu saying that they should rest. However, the guild is planning something for Lucy. Mira walks over to Lucy and notices her gloomy demeanor.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Mira asks as she looks at Lucy.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Natsu for a while and today is my birthday." Lucy confesses as she lets out a sigh.

"Happy Birthday, Lucy! Has it been okay since you and Natsu started dating?" Mira asks as Lucy blushes. Natsu and Lucy recently started dating and it has been going smoothly, but she starts to worry if he won't come by today.

"Thanks, Mira. It has been going well, I just hope he's okay." Lucy says softly as she remembers Natsu coming into the guild five days ago with a cheerful smile on his face when he greeted her. She remembers how warm he was when he hugged her tight then leans into her ears and said wait for me to come home, Luce. He let go from the embrace then starts to run with Happy by his side out of the guild.

A firm hand lands on her shoulder and Lucy blushes hoping it's Natsu, but turns around to see Kaden smiling widely. He has a hand behind his back while Cana is next to him with a sly smile. Lucy still smiles at them but she was hoping it was Natsu behind her.

"Heard it was your birthday, so Cana and I bought you something from us." Kaden announces as he hands a small gift bag to Lucy as she opens it to find a small bottle of alcohol with a small frame containing a group shot of the guild.

"Gotta start prepping you when I take you out to drink." Cana says with a wide smile as Lucy smiles.

"Thanks you guys." Lucy says as she places her gift on the table then hugs the two.

"We'll see you tonight, alright?" Kaden says as Cana elbows him.

"What do you mean?" Lucy ask

"Heh, you're going to have to wait. Now, if you excuse me, I promise to take Cana to a new pub that opened." Kaden says as he and Cana leave Lucy to her thoughts as she turns around to see Mira is gone as well.

 _We keep this love in a photograph_  
 _We made these memories for ourselves_  
 _Where our eyes are never closing_  
 _Hearts are never broken_  
 _And time's forever frozen still_

Lucy grabs the frame and looks at how big the guild has gotten since they reopened the guild. She smiles as she sees Happy next to Carla with a smile on his face then to Gajeel placing his arm on Levy's head. Then her smile slowly fades as she sees Natsu behind Lucy as he wraps his arms around her waist with a wide smile on his face. She hopes that he's okay and hopefully Happy will try to keep him from doing anything rash. Lucy puts the frame in the gift bag then leaves the guild but is stopped by Gray and Juvia.

"Happy birthday, Lucy." Juvia smiles as she hugs Lucy. Juvia lets go from the hug as Gray smiles at her.

"Oh, Erza wants you and the rest of our team back her tonight." Gray says as Juvia places her head on his shoulder.

"Really? Why?" Lucy questions as Gray shrugs his shoulders.

"Beats me, but let's hope you're hot head boyfriend makes it." Gray says as he looks at Lucy's worried face.

"Sorry, touchy subject." Gray mutters as he awkwardly places his hand behind his head.

"Natsu will come, Lucy." Juvia reassures with a smile.

"I hope so." Lucy says as she leaves the guild then Gray closes the door then looks at the members with a sly smile. The members work fervently on decorations and some went to buy gifts.

Lucy walks back home with Plue next to her for company as she looks at her surroundings. The streets are lively as people walk to and from the stores and happy children running down the street with balloons trailing behind them.

 _So you can keep me_  
 _Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans_  
 _Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet_  
 _You won't ever be alone, wait for me to come home_

"Thanks for keeping me company." Lucy says as Plue gives her a thumbs up as they reach towards her house and hopes the Natsu might be hiding in her room and surprising her. As she enters to her quiet home then sighs as she places the gift bag on her dresser then removes the frame and places it besides her bed.

"I'm waiting for you, but can you try to get here faster." Lucy sighs as she looks at a photo of her, Natsu and Happy fishing then smiles as she remembers Natsu catching a huge fish then cooking it for Happy and her, but he overcooked it a bit. She remembers how embarrassed he was when the fish looked a bit burnt but Happy and she just laughed.

Her memories with Natsu have been happy ones which she is grateful for, but she doesn't want today to be an awful one. She gets up then looks at the time and notices she has a few hours left before she has to go back to the guild. She goes to take a bath to calm her nerves.

 _Loving can heal, loving can mend your soul_  
 _And it's the only thing that I know, know_  
 _I swear it will get easier,_  
 _Remember that with every piece of you_  
 _Hm, and it's the only thing we take with us when we die_

Lucy lets her mind wander as she recalls the day Natsu asked her out and blushes at how nervous she was when she saw how red his face was.

* * *

 **Flashback:**

It is a calm sunny afternoon as they are going back home from another job and Lucy notices how quiet Natsu is and how Happy was flying farther from them. He then stops in his tracks as Lucy keeps walking forward and turns back when she notices Natsu wasn't beside her.

"Everything okay?" Lucy asks as she looks at Natsu's face is serious.

"Yeah" Natsu says as he walks towards her and resumes walking.

"Something on your mind?" Lucy asks as she glances at Natsu.

"Yeah." Natsu answers as he stops walking again.

"We've been friends for a long time, huh?" Natsu asks as Lucy looks at him with a concerned look.

"Yeah around 3 years?" Lucy smiles as Natsu blushes

"I want you to know that I care for you, Lucy and I will always be there for you." Natsu says as he looks at her with a worried look.

"Yeah, same goes for you. We got each other's backs, right?" Lucy adds as Natsu feels a bit better from her words.

"I may not be the kind of person you are interested in but I want you to know that I will always protect you and make sure you always smile all the time. You're more than a friend to me, Lucy and I hope you know that no matter what you say, I will always stay by your side." Natsu announces as Lucy feels her heart racing. She walks closer to him then look into his eyes.

"You know that I will always be by your side, Natsu. I may not be as strong as you now but I will always help you no matter what." Lucy reassures as Natsu blushes.

"You're strong in other places like your heart and your will to fight and that makes you stronger than me. Would you like to go out sometime?" Natsu asks as he anxiously waits for an answer.

"How about now." Lucy smiles as Natsu smiles wide then grabs her hand and run towards Happy.

 _Hm, we keep this love in this photograph_  
 _We made these memories for ourselves_  
 _Where our eyes are never closing_  
 _Hearts were never broken_  
 _And time's forever frozen still_

* * *

 **Present**

That memory will always have a special place in her heart because of how nervous Natsu was. As Lucy finishes taking a bath, she gets dry then changes into new clothes as she notices how quiet her home is. As she walks around her apartment she sees Capricorn pop up in front of her.

"Happy birthday, Lucy." Capricorn says as he bows his head towards her. Lucy blushes then gives a soft laugh.

 _So you can keep me_  
 _Inside the pocket of your ripped jeans_  
 _Holding me closer 'til our eyes meet_  
 _You won't ever be alone_

"Thank you, Capricorn." Lucy says as smiles.

"The spirits and I bring this to you." Capricorn says as he extracts a small silver flower brooch

"It's beautiful, thank you." Lucy smiles as Capricorn walks towards her then places the brooch carefully on her pink blouse.

"We hope it brings you good luck and many happy memories." Capricorn smiles as Lucy hugs him.

"Your mother will be immensely proud of you, Lucy." Capricorn says as Lucy nods her head.

"Thank you, Capricorn." Lucy says as she lets go.

"I'm sure you have a busy day today, so I will be going now." Capricorn says as Lucy nods her head.

"Thank you again, Capricorn." Lucy says again as Capricorn disappears in front of her.

 _And if you hurt me_  
 _That's okay baby, only words bleed_  
 _Inside these pages you just hold me_  
 _And I won't ever let you go_  
 _Wait for me to come home_  
 _Wait for me to come home_  
 _Wait for me to come home_  
 _Wait for me to come home_

Lucy leaves her place the starts walking back to the guild and notices that the streets are now becoming calmer. The sun is starting to set on the horizon as she walks towards the guild. Her heart hurts the closer she gets to the guild as she hopes Natsu didn't forget about today and maybe that's why he's not coming. She keeps reciting his words in her head as she approaches to the guild. She found it weird to see the door close and tries to open it but nothing.

"Anybody inside?" Lucy shouts as she knocks on the door.

"You're early!" Gray shouts nervously inside the guild.

"Yeah, sorry about that but I had nothing to do so I decided to just come back. Can I come in?" Lucy asks as the door opens

"Sorry but this is all we could do." Gray apologizes as he escorts Lucy inside to see a wide variety of decorations across the guild. Pink, purple, and blue balloons float aimlessly across the guild.

Lucy looks at Wendy blowing up one pink balloon and ties then smile as it floats away. Mira and Erza were setting the food on a separate table while Gajeel was adjusting the microphone as Levy is trying to convince him that there is no need for him to sing. Other guild members are still oblivious of Lucy's presence until Gray lets out a cough. The whole guild looks at him and Lucy with a shocked expression then smile.

"Surprise, Lucy!" The guild shouts in unison as she marvels at the decorations and how her friends continue working on the finishing touches.

"You did this all for me?" Lucy ask

"You honestly think we wouldn't celebrate your birthday?" Mira asks as she walks towards Lucy. Kaden and Cana walk in bringing two barrels of alcohol.

"Now it's a party!" Kaden shouts as he walks over to a table then places the barrels on the table. Lucy laughs as she looks at everyone laughing and smiling as they started to have fun.

Lucy walks deeper into the guild and starts talking with everyone and thanking them profusely. She spots Gildarts watching Cana leaning against Kaden's shoulder then joins them. A blue figure flies into the guild and heads straight to Lucy.

"Happy birthday, Lucy!" Happy shouts as Lucy jumps from the sudden words. She turns around to see Happy carrying a fish with a red bow on it as he gives it to her. She hugs Happy tight and smiles wide.

"Lucy, you're squashing your gift!" Happy shouts nervously as she lets go. Happy places the fish on the table then returns to Lucy. Lucy laughs again as Happy flies in front of her blocking the view of the door. Happy notices that Lucy has her back towards him and turns back at the door with a smile.

"Happy birthday, Luce." A familiar voice says as Lucy turns around as her heart stops to see Natsu standing in front of her. Lucy hugs him tightly as he hugs her then leans closer to her ear.

"Thanks for waiting." Natsu whispers as he lets go of her.

"I was worried sick about you guys!" Lucy confesses as Natsu and Happy awkwardly place their hand behind their head.

"Sorry about that. Turns out your gift took longer than we thought." Natsu apologizes as he extracts a small box from his pocket then give it to Lucy.

 _You can fit me_  
 _Inside the_ necklace _you got when you were sixteen_  
 _Next to your heartbeat where I should be_  
 _Keep it deep within your soul_

Lucy opens the small box to see a silver locket with a blue flower etched in the middle. She grabs the locket then opens it to see a picture of her, Natsu, and Happy at one panel then other with her and parents. Lucy starts to get teary eyed as she looks at him.

 _And if you hurt me_  
 _Well, that's okay baby, only words bleed_  
 _Inside these pages you just hold me_  
 _And I won't ever let you go_

"You keep those you find special close to your heart." Natsu says as he extracts a photograph from a pocket in his jacket. The photograph was the guild photo she received from Kaden then he flips to the back of the photo to see a picture of Lucy and Happy smiling.

"How long have you had that there?" Lucy ask

 _When I'm away, I will remember how you kissed me_  
 _Under the lamppost back on Sixth street_  
 _Hearing you whisper through the phone,_  
 _"Wait for me to come home."_

"Since we formed our team but I kept it at home until I got something with pockets. It lets me know that I have someone to come home to when I go on solo missions." Natsu confesses as Lucy leans in close to him then kisses him on his lips.

Natsu places his hands onto her lower back then pulls her closer. Happy blushes as he watches the scene then smiles when he sees how happy they look. Natsu pulls away then smiles at Lucy again.

"I'll always wait for you, but will you wait for me if I do a solo mission?" Lucy ask as Natsu leans his forehead towards her.

"Always and forever." Natsu reassures as Lucy smiles wide at him.

 **Hope you enjoy this One-Shot! I always liked the idea that Lucy or Natsu have a picture of each other when they're apart.**


End file.
